JACQUES DESLIAS

The castle of Bouteville has lost a good part of its stones! Built to resist the Normans, the fortress was occupied by the Taillefer family, Counts of Angoulême. It is said that the young Isabelle, who was stolen from Hugues de Lusignan on her wedding day, had her first night of love with King John of England. During the Hundred Years' War, the castle passed from the French to the English, and finally back to the French... King Charles of Orleans undertook work to bring the castle up to the standards of the time. Then Francis I, impoverished by his defeat against Charles V, gave it up in 1550. Of the elegant Renaissance castle, only ruins remain today. But what ruins! The terrace and the collapsed walls offer an exceptional panoramic view. The castle has been under restoration for 30 years. In summer, many activities are organized: fencing, archery... and guided tours are organized in July and August (From Bernard de Béon du Massés to the Count of Artois).